Legal claims defining the scope of protection, as filed with the USPTO.
1. A touch panel configured to drive a liquid crystal according to a voltage difference between first and second electrodes, the touch panel comprising: at least one display unit configured to, generate an image voltage and apply the image voltage to the first electrode, the image voltage corresponding to image data to be displayed in response to activation of a display gate line, and at least one sensing unit configured to sense, in response to activation of a sensor gate line, a voltage variation of the second electrode to determine whether a finger capacitance is generated by a physical touch on the touch panel, wherein, while the sensor gate line is activated, the first electrode floats so that the voltage difference between the first and second electrodes used in driving the liquid crystal is maintained.
2. The touch panel of claim 1 , wherein the first electrode is a pixel electrode, and the second electrode is a common electrode.
3. The touch panel of claim 2 , wherein the at least one display unit is a plurality of display units, and the second electrode is shared by a pair of display units from among the plurality of display units.
4. The touch panel of claim 1 , wherein the at least one display unit is a plurality of display units and the at least one sensing unit is a plurality of sensing units, and each of the sensing units is disposed in a corresponding one of the display units.
5. The touch panel of claim 1 , wherein the first and second electrodes are substantially parallel to an orientation of a director axis of the liquid crystal.
6. The touch panel of claim 1 , wherein the voltage variation of the second electrode corresponds to a ratio of a coupling capacitance between the second electrode and the sensor gate line with respect to the finger capacitance.
7. The touch panel of claim 1 , wherein the at least one display unit and the at least one sensing unit are formed on a same array.
8. The touch panel of claim 1 , wherein the at least one sensing unit comprises: a sensing transistor configured to generate a sensing current corresponding to the voltage variation of the second electrode, the sensing transistor having a gate connected to the second electrode; a selection transistor configured to supply the sensing current of the sensing transistor to a sensing line if the sensor gate line is activated, the selection transistor having an end connected to an end of the sensing transistor and a gate connected to the sensor gate line; and at least one reset transistor configured to reset the second electrode if the display gate line is activated and the sensor gate line is deactivated, the reset transistor having a gate connected to the display gate line, an end connected to the second electrode, and an other end connected to the sensor gate line.
9. The touch panel of claim 8 , wherein the sensing current of the sensing transistor corresponds to a ratio of a coupling capacitance between the first electrode and the sensor gate line with respect to the finger capacitance.
10. The touch panel of claim 8 , wherein an other end of the sensing transistor is connected to the sensor gate line.
11. The touch panel of claim 9 , wherein the at least one display unit is a plurality of display units, and the at least one sensing unit is disposed between two adjacent display units from among the plurality of display units.
12. The touch panel of claim 11 , wherein the at least one reset transistor includes a first reset transistor having a gate connected to a display gate line of one of the two adjacent display units, and a second reset transistor having a gate connected to a display gate line of the other of the two adjacent display units.
13. The touch panel of claim 1 , further comprising: a display resetting unit configured to reset the second electrode if the display gate line is activated after the at least one sensing unit performs sensing.
14. A touch screen apparatus comprising: a touch panel configured to drive a liquid crystal according to a voltage difference between first and second electrodes, the touch panel including, a display unit configured to generate an image voltage and apply the image voltage to the first electrode, the image voltage corresponding to image data to be displayed in response to activation of a display gate line, and a sensing unit configured to sense, in response to activation of a sensor gate line, a voltage variation of the second electrode to determine whether a finger capacitance is generated by a physical touch on the touch panel; a gate driver configured to apply a gate voltage to the display gate line and the sensor gate line of the touch panel; and a signal output unit configured to output a signal corresponding to a received sensing value of the sensing unit of the touch panel, wherein, while the sensor gate line is activated, the first electrode floats so that the voltage difference between the first and second electrodes used in driving the liquid crystal is maintained.
15. The touch screen apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the first electrode is a pixel electrode, and the second electrode is a common electrode.
16. The touch screen apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the first and second electrodes are substantially parallel to an orientation of a director axis of the liquid crystal.
17. The touch screen apparatus of claim 14 , wherein the sensing unit comprises: a sensing transistor configured to generate a sensing current corresponding to the voltage variation of the second electrode, the sensing transistor having a gate connected to the second electrode; a selection transistor configured to supply the sensing current of the sensing transistor to a sensing line if the sensor gate line is activated, the selection transistor having an end connected to an end of the sensing transistor and a gate connected to the sensor gate line; and a reset transistor configured to reset the second electrode if the display gate line is activated and the sensor gate line is deactivated, the reset transistor having a gate connected to the display gate line, an end connected to the second electrode, and an other end connected to the sensor gate line.
18. A method of driving a touch panel whereby a liquid crystal is driven according to a voltage difference between first and second electrodes, the method comprising: generating an image voltage to be displayed in response to activation of a first display gate line; applying the image voltage to the first electrode; and sensing, in response to activation of a sensor gate line, a voltage variation of the second electrode to determine whether a finger capacitance is generated by a physical touch on the touch panel, wherein, while the sensor gate line is activated, the first electrode floats so that the voltage difference between the first and second electrodes used in driving the liquid crystal is maintained.
19. The method of claim 18 , after the sensing, further comprising: resetting the second electrode in response to activation of a second display gate line.
Unknown
July 26, 2016
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